CG007 Advanced HumanComputer Interaction Introduction

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CG007 Advanced Human-Computer InteractionIntrodu
ction

• Paul Irvine
• David Miller module tutor

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Basically

• Human Computer Interaction is concerned with
• understanding how people use computer-based
  systems and products in their everyday and
  working lives.
• contributing to the good design of computer-based
  products so that they are fit for their intended
  purposes and provide pleasure in use.
• So the module has wider concerns than the design
  of pc screens and web pages.

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We assume you have already studied an
introductory HCI module

• You should have already studied CM160
  Fundamentals of Human Computer Interaction, or
  an equivalent module.
• If not
• access CM160 material via the web, or
• Dip into one of the following books as soon as
  possible
• Benyon,D., Turner,P. and Turner, S. (2005)
  Designing Interactive Systems. Addison-Wesley
•  
• Dix,A, Finlay, J., Abowd, G.D. Beale, R. (2004)
  Human-Computer Interaction.(3rd Ed). Pearson
•  
• Preece,J., Rogers, Y. Sharp, H. (2002)
  Interaction Design. Wiley
• (This book is the essential text for the CM160
  module mentioned above the 2nd edition has just
  come out.)

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Two main themes of the module

• 1 theories that have been used to explain how
  people behaviour when they interact with
  technological products .
• This is mainly covered by sessions on
• Effective interaction
• emphasis on how people learn to make use of tools
  to help them carry out practical activities
• Affective interaction
• Emphasis on why and how interactive products
  influence users emotions
• 2 Specific topics (we have selected just a few
  for coverage in the module)
• Visualisation
• Games
• Persuasive technology
• Ways of exploring design

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Assessment

• Assignment 50
• Pedestrian navigation.
• Team activity you do some investigations in
  the field
• Individual report you analyse two academic
  papers we give you.
• Briefing in week 3 lecture.
• Some sessions are particularly relevant to the
  assignment.
• Examination 50
• Closed book
• 1hr 30min. Including 15min. reading time.
• Answer one question from a choice of two.
• Both questions will have several (usually 3)
  parts.
• Each question will ask you about
• some aspect of theory explanations of behaviour
  relevant to effective and affective design.
• some aspect of a topic we have covered
  Visualisation,Games,Persuasive technology, Ways
  of exploring design
• The relationship between theory and the topic.

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Reading articles on HCI - Question Assumptions

• Many issues in HCI are controversial
• the author of an article often makes assumptions
  may not be shared by many others in the research
  community
• But the author may not acknowledge this.
• When you read the papers we give you, ask
  yourself What is the position of the authors,
  what do they take for granted?
• Issues include
• Laboratory or field evaluation
• Novelty versus the mundane
• Visions of the future and their assumptions
• Universal access

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Sources of HCI literature

• The books, papers and web sites directly referred
  to in the module should be your main source of
  reading
• However, this represents only a small part of the
  available HCI literature, and if you have time
  you should do some independent reading to follow
  up particular interests.
• Some sources carry more authority than others,
  e.g.
• Articles that are published in leading academic
  journals
• Books
• web sites of newspapers, major broadcasters etc
• Web sites of companies that sell ICT products or
  services
• Personal web sites, blogs etc

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Peer-reviewed papers

• Papers that are published by the professional
  societies are peer-reviewed before
  publication.
• Peer-reviewing consists of getting other people
  who have some knowledge in the subject area to
  read the work before it is published.
• The reviewers decide if it is worth publishing.
• The idea is that peer-reviewed papers contribute
  to and build on an existing body of knowledge.
• This process helps to increase the likelihood
  that what is being said is coherent, and not
  misleading or simply untrue.
• Peer-reviewing should guarantee that what is
  being said can reasonably be said from the
  evidence presented, but it does not guarantee
  that what is being said is really all that worth
  saying.
• Peer-review does not ensure that what is
  published is significant or useful to a wider
  community.

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Newspapers and trade magazines

• The world wide web has enabled people to express
  all sorts of ideas without constraint.
• So you should take care when gathering
  information.
• Some sources of news and investigative journalism
  are quite trustworthy, such as the BBC, the UK
  independent TV channel C4, daily newspapers such
  as The Financial Times, The Guardian, and weekly
  specialist newspapers Computing or Computer
  Weekly. These publications all have websites.
• In this type of web site, there is some form of
  peer-review through the editorial process and
  they have reputations to maintain.
• However, they tend to adopt a strong story-line
  and this does not leave much space for
  alternative perspectives, so it helps if you can
  look at the story from several different sources
  and several different perspectives.

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Other web sources

• There are many other sources of HCI material and
  perspectives on the web.
• Many sources are really just statements of
  opinion.
• This does not mean that they have no value.
• They may be expressing opinions that turn out to
  be important, but are not supported at the time
  with sufficient evidence or clear-enough
  arguments. However, they do need to be treated
  with some caution. Look for further evidence from
  other independent sources.

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Ask yourself what are they selling?

• There are lots of lively web sites that are about
  putting HCI into practice. These may be
  explicitly about HCI, such as
• http//www.useit.com/ or
• http//www.system-concepts.com, or
• their relation to HCI might be implicit, for
  example read the review section at
  http//www.palminfocenter.com.
• Bear in mind that many of these sites have a
  product to sell,
• sometimes it is not a physical product,
• it may be a service such as design consultancy.
• This does not invalidate what you read on their
  web sites, but it does mean that you should not
  always take what you read at face value.
• (This a good way of looking at academic research
  too. Researchers are selling their research in
  a sense. They have to do this to get status and
  stay in their jobs.).
  
  end

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